Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee
The New Mexico Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC) was created by state statute, (Section 9-2A-14 through Section 9-2A-16 NMSA 1978) and carries out responsibilities under the Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act as well as the State Juvenile Continuum Act.
The JJAC is appointed by the Governor and is advisory to the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD), the Governor and the Legislature. JJAC members come from all walks of life and professional disciplines who, together with allied individuals and organizations, seek to improve the circumstances of vulnerable and troubled children, youth and families involved with the courts, and to build safe sharing best practices, innovations, policy recommendations and peer support.
The JJAC advocates for the prevention of delinquency, alternatives to secure detention, improvement of the juvenile justice system, gender-specific services, and the development of a continuum of graduated sanctions for juveniles in local communities. The JJAC allocates federal and state grant funds to communities in New Mexico for these purposes.
Mission Statement
JJAC’s mission is to advocate for the prevention of juvenile delinquency and the provision of a continuum of high quality services throughout the New Mexico Juvenile Justice system. This is accomplished by:
- Advising the Governor and the Legislature on Juvenile Justice issues;
- examining, critiquing and advising all relevant state agencies on the development of their programs in both juvenile institutions and local policies, programs and practices;
- assessing juvenile related problems, identifying community needs and gaps in services; and
- fostering innovative program responses.
JJAC Responsibilities
JJAC’s state juvenile justice members advise and guide the implementation of the Federal Juvenile Justice and Prevention Act (JJDPA) and are charged under JJDPA to participate in:
- The development and evaluation of the state three-year juvenile justice strategic plan;
- The review of sub-grant applications for receipt of federal JDDPA and state Continuum Grant funds;
- Efforts to ensure their state compliance with the purposes and requirement of the JJDPA; and
- Review and recommendations for sub-grant applications for receipt of State of New Mexico Legislative appropriated General Funds.
Strategic Priorities
JJAC provides a system of services and sanctions as an alternative to detention for juveniles arrested or referred to juvenile probation and parole or at risk of referrals and allocates federal and state grant funds to communities in New Mexico for this purpose. JJAC allocates federal and state grant funds to communities in New Mexico for this purpose. Local boards help implement best practice programs in their areas to prevent youth from getting in trouble in the first place, and provide local sanctions and services that divert youth from commitment to state facilities by advocating for:
- The prevention of delinquency;
- Alternatives to secure detention;
- Improvement of the Juvenile Justice System;
- Gender-specific services; and
- The development of a continuum of graduated sanctions for juvenile’s local communities.
JJAC 3-Year Plan
The Plan identifies the strategic priorities set by the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee and CYFD, for federal fiscal years 2024 – 2026.
JJAC Racial and Ethnic Disparities Plan
This plan explains data collection practices, provides data, and identifies the measures of success in R/ED reduction look like.
New Mexico Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee Meeting
Date:
April 1, 2025 (Rescheduled from March 18 due to weather)
Time:
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location:
Luna County Courthouse, in the Commissioners Chambers on the 3rd Floor, located at:
700 S Silver Ave
Deming, NM 88030
Hybrid Meeting via Zoom using the link to the right.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9019368067?pwd=jTKnWJYWirPnKa22jaE2WE3aokMboS.1&omn=81716464752
Meeting ID: 901 936 8067
Passcode: JJAC2024
Direct questions to:
Bianca Padilla
Bianca.Padilla@cyfd.nm.gov
505-365-3645
Upcoming Meetings
Date:
June 17, 2025
Time:
10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location:
Virtually via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9019368067?pwd=jTKnWJYWirPnKa22jaE2WE3aokMboS.1&omn=89414463949
Meeting ID: 901 936 8067
Passcode: JJAC2024
Current JJAC Members
Ruben Barreras, Jayda E. Cordero, Nick J. Costales, Tina Harris, Dean R. Johnson, Alan Kirk, Ted A. Lovato, Ronald M. Lucero, Anna M. Marshall, May Sagbakken, Angie Schneider, Victoria R. Standley, Moneka Stevens, Thomas E. Swisstack, Danielle A. Trujillo, Gilbert A. Trujillo, Ronald W. West, and Keryl Work.